Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 168: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AT8 them both because they had heen. brave and taken life into their courageous young hands, Thank God, she was dead; pray God she did not know what an immensity of woe had fallen upon her son. ¥es, at the very bottom of the pile, so to speak, Dick Marshall found the mumber he wanted. He rang the bell, which was answered by an oldish man distinguished by the al- paca coat and the white dickey of a fast- disappearing class of servitor. The care- itaker, in fact, or the husband of the care- taker. There would, no doubt, be a pair of them. Dr. Sanders was in, dining alone in his rooms. At dinner this very moment. Per- haps—the neat old man in the alpaca coat and white dickey was only mildly dubious —perhaps, such being the case, the gentle- man might like to send up his name before being announced in person. There is something mysteriously against nature in disturbing a man at his meal. Dick nodded and agreed that it would be better. His name, he said, was Marshall. In case Dr. Sanders might not recall, please say they’d known each other at Quentin Prison, Dick, rather weary, waited upon an oak settle in the hall. It was a pleasant, very clean house, with its distempered walls, linoleum-covered floors and red carpet run- ning up the stairs. Just the sort of neat, comfortable place in which one would ex- pect to find Hugh Sanders. Dick felt shab- by and grimy, like the tramp he was. He shouldn’t have presented himself so uncere- moniously; Sanders might not be pleased at being taken literally at his word. But as these fears crowded into Dick’s mind there was a brisk step on the landing and down rushed the young doctor, flourish- ing his table-napkin like a flag. ‘“ Well, well! I am glad, old chap! This is splendid of you. Come straight up to my digs. Henry, ask the missus if she'll be kind enough to send up another chop and some hot potatoes for my friend. You haven’t dined, have you, Marshall?” Overwhelmed with the heartiness of his reception, Dick replied that he hadn’t and that he was very hungry, while Sanders ARGOSY-ALLESTORY WEEKLY, pumped his arm off, and the old servant hurried on stiff, rheumatic legs to the base- ment, to see about the chop and potatoes. ‘“T’m afraid I’m not very smart,” Dick said ruefully. ‘“‘ Somehow, I haven’t thought much about my clothes lately. I didn’t realize until I was actually here that it might be an embarrassment for you to—” ‘‘ Not. a bit of it. And, anyway, I’m quite alone. This isn’t the sort of night to wan- der about in, and I can tell you, I’m very glad indeed to see you. You’ve been ter- rifically in my mind lately.” Secretly, Hugh Sanders was wondering if Dick had communicated with that gentle, sad-eyed little wife of his who had hurried off at once to Witcham in the hope of get- ‘ting some trace of him. Later on the young doctor meant to lead up to the subject— tactfully, of course, for he had to remember that Marshall had never discussed his per-~ sonal affairs. When they reached the warm, red-car- peted sitting-room with its comfortable leather chairs and thick curtains drawn against the fog, and Dick was partaking of the plain, wholesome meal laid on a bridge- table close to the blazing fire, his host ad+ dressed him with simple sincerity, “T can’t tell you, Marshall, how proud and pleased I am that you took me at my word and came here.” ‘“T knew you meant it,” Dick said gravely. ‘Indeed I did mean it. And I want you to stop here and make your home with me until you have time to look around—un- less, of course, you have plans I don’t know about, or some one else you’d prefer to go 99 “As yet I have no plans,” Dick said, “and there is no one in London I care about looking up. It’s frightfully kind of you. You don’t know anything about me, and considering the circumstances under which we met—” ‘‘ Never mind all that. We saved each other’s lives, and I for my part am grateful for that little favor. Try some of this cheddar. It’s. pretty good.” “Thanks. I don’t know when I’ve had such an appetite. Ill tell you what it is, doctor—ever since we had those talks aboug. COmiclboolks.Gom